Chapter Summaries

Kahn realized he had transmigrated into the body of a young Fire Nation boy whose parents had died, and discovered he was a firebender. After practicing a weak flame, he found the household deserted and wondered whether his Great Qing had fallen.

• Kahn awoke beside the body of the boy’s hanged mother and was carried away by a maid.
• Kahn dreamed of the boy’s happy childhood ending with his father dying in war and his mother hanging herself.
• Kahn recognized his reflection as the boy from the dream and accepted that he had transmigrated into another world.
• Kahn recalled that his family lived in the Fire Nation’s capital and learned that he could bend fire.
• Kahn produced a tiny flame, then discovered the courtyard was deserted and wondered where everyone had gone.

Kahn, a transmigrated nine-year-old attending school in the Fire Nation, spoke with Iroh, who had protected him after his parents died. Iroh introduced Kahn to his nephew Zuko, hoping they would become friends.

• Kahn left class and planned to spend time in the school library, reflecting on the Fire Nation's compulsory education and how Iroh had protected him from losing his inheritance.
• Iroh greeted Kahn and asked how he was finding school; Kahn said he liked the library and preferred being alone.
• Iroh ruffled Kahn's hair, feeling guilty about the deaths of Kahn's parents and disappointed that school had not helped him make friends.
• Iroh introduced his nephew Zuko to Kahn, and Zuko shyly greeted him.

Kahn and Zuko met and went to the library together, where Kahn found a book about the Avatar. Zuko agreed when Kahn offered to read it to him.

• Iroh introduced Kahn and Zuko, then gave them space to get acquainted.
• Kahn declined Zuko's suggestions to play and instead invited him to visit the library.
• Zuko told Kahn that his father kept him from going out and complained that his sister Azula could do as she pleased.
• Iroh spoke with the librarian, who let Zuko enter the library with them.
• Kahn found History of the Avatar, and Zuko agreed to have him read it aloud.

Kahn practiced firebending before Iroh brought him to the palace to meet Zuko’s mother. As Kahn and Zuko approached the royal residence, Azula appeared on a wall and teased Zuko about his new friend.

• Kahn reviewed his firebending and reflected on how difficult it was to teach himself advanced techniques without a teacher.
• Iroh brought Zuko to Kahn’s home and invited Kahn to visit the palace so Zuko’s mother could meet him.
• Kahn changed clothes and accompanied Iroh and Zuko to the palace, asking Zuko about its rules along the way.
• Iroh left Kahn with Zuko after they arrived, and the boys walked toward Zuko’s home while Ozai was away.
• Azula greeted them from atop a wall and teased Zuko about Kahn, prompting Zuko to call her name warily.

Kahn met Zuko’s younger sister Azula, who threatened him, but he calmly denied that she had bullied him when Ursa intervened. Ursa wondered why Kahn had defended Azula and suspected he might have fallen in love with her at first sight.

• Kahn assessed Azula and frowned, prompting her to threaten to gouge out his eyes and sew his mouth shut.
• Zuko objected to Azula’s treatment of Kahn and warned her that he would tell their mother.
• Ursa arrived, told Azula to get down from the wall, and asked what she and Zuko had been arguing about.
• Zuko told Ursa that Azula had picked a fight with Kahn, but Kahn said they had only been having a normal conversation.
• Azula was surprised by Kahn’s defense, and Ursa wondered whether he had fallen in love with Azula at first sight.

Yin Shu welcomed Kahn and approved of his friendship with Zuko, while Kahn advised Zuko to stand up to Azula rather than tattle. As Zuko prepared to teach Kahn firebending, Azula appeared and asked Kahn to decide whether she could join them.

• Yin Shu accepted Kahn as Zuko's friend and left the boys to play together.
• Kahn told Zuko that siblings should answer each other's insults and blows instead of involving their parents, but Zuko doubted his advice.
• Zuko invited Kahn to the training grounds to learn firebending and spar, and Kahn agreed.
• Azula appeared, asked to join them, and persuaded Zuko to let Kahn decide.
• Kahn agreed to let Azula join.

Kahn arranged a combat-practice session, hoping a spar between Zuko and Azula might ease their conflict, and established rules before the matches began. After the first bout paired Kahn with Zuko, Kahn surprised him with quick reactions and a counterattack, leaving Zuko wondering how he had predicted his move.

• Kahn suggested using combat practice to help Zuko and Azula get along, but Zuko admitted Azula had never lost to him and had defeated their former teacher.
• Azula taunted Zuko into fighting, and Kahn stopped him to make both siblings agree to rules against heavy blows and to stop when asked.
• Kahn arranged three one-on-one matches in a set order, with the first bout between himself and Zuko.
• Kahn and Zuko exchanged fireballs, then Zuko charged through the flames and missed as Kahn dodged and nearly kicked him.
• Kahn let Zuko recover, explained that prediction and intuition had guided his counter, and asked to continue the fight.

Kahn defeated Zuko in a sparring match with his improvised Scum Gale technique and offered to teach it to him in exchange for firebending lessons. Azula then challenged Zuko and beat him badly while Kahn watched from the sidelines.

• Kahn tested his combat instincts against Zuko, then used Scum Gale to throw him and win the fight.
• Kahn cheered up the dejected Zuko by offering to teach him Scum Gale if Zuko taught him firebending.
• Azula mocked Zuko and invited him to spar, provoking him into charging at her.
• Azula beat Zuko black and blue as Kahn covered his face and peeked through his fingers.

Kahn faced Azula in a practice bout and used evasive tactics to tire her out before throwing her beyond the training platform. Zuko declared Azula the loser, leaving Kahn victorious by the bout’s rules.

• After Azula defeated Zuko, she called Kahn onto the training platform for their practice bout.
• Azula attacked with powerful blue flames, while Kahn dodged and avoided confronting her directly.
• Azula grew exhausted and irritated as Kahn kept evading her attacks and taunted her back.
• When Azula exposed an opening, Kahn grabbed her wrist and threw her outside the platform.
• Kahn explained that he had used the rules to win, and Zuko shouted that Azula had lost.

After defeating Azula, Kahn turned down her request to replace Zuko as his friend but invited her to join them, and she stayed despite her irritation. As the three rested, Zuko asked Kahn to continue his story about Sun Wukong.

• Kahn admitted his victory over Azula had depended on her mistakes and his efficient control of his body, and Zuko congratulated him.
• Azula laughed, praised Kahn, and asked to be his friend; while Kahn spaced out, Zuko urged him to ignore her and offered to teach him Firebending.
• Kahn told Azula that he and Zuko were friends and invited her to join them, prompting Azula to set Zuko's backside alight before staying with them.
• Kahn rested and shared water with Zuko and Azula, then agreed to continue telling the story of Sun Wukong.

Kahn’s storytelling and sparring brought Zuko and Azula together peacefully, and Yin Shu praised Azula before Kahn left with Iroh. When Ozai arrived, Azula lied that she had beaten Zuko in a challenge, leaving Zuko to understand what Kahn had meant by tattling.

• Kahn told Zuko and Azula a version of Journey to the West, and they listened, argued, and spent time together.
• Yin Shu found the three of them bedraggled but getting along, then apologized to and praised Azula.
• Yin Shu sent Zuko to take Kahn to the gate, where Iroh arrived and Kahn said he wanted to learn firebending next time.
• Azula asked Zuko whether Ozai knew he had brought Kahn home, then hinted she would tell their father.
• Ozai arrived, and Azula claimed she had beaten Zuko in a challenge; Ozai praised her and scolded Zuko.
• Azula asked Zuko if he understood tattling, and Zuko recalled Kahn’s earlier words.

Ozai berated Zuko for befriending Kahn, but Azula persuaded him to let Kahn visit and planned to have him for herself. Zuko confronted Azula afterward, while Yin Shu hoped Kahn might change the family’s course; Kahn ended the chapter sensing a storm was coming.

• Ozai scolded Zuko for bringing Kahn to the palace and threatened to keep him away, while Yin Shu defended Zuko.
• Azula told Ozai she wanted to spend time with Kahn, and Ozai agreed, pleased by her cruelty and cunning.
• Azula asked Ozai to assign Xiao Tao as her maid, and he agreed.
• Zuko warned Azula not to bully Kahn, but Azula dismissed his threat.
• Yin Shu watched Zuko and Azula leave and hoped Kahn might bring change to the family.
• Kahn finished washing the dishes, noticed the storm clouds, and remarked that the weather suited a night for murder.

After Ozai took the Fire Nation throne, Kahn stayed home through the unrest and worried about Iroh and Zuko. Iroh eventually visited and said he had more time to spend with the boys, but his subdued reaction to Zuko’s name left Zuko’s troubles unresolved.

• Kahn learned that the old emperor had died and named Ozai emperor instead of Iroh, and the ensuing tension kept Kahn confined at home.
• After the streets returned to normal, Kahn returned to school and read about magical animals, inspiring him to dream of taming an exotic beast.
• Iroh visited Kahn, who blurted out that he had thought Iroh was dead, and Iroh smacked him on the head.
• Iroh told Kahn he now had more time to spend with him and the boys, then grew somber when Kahn asked why Zuko was absent.
• Iroh said Zuko had quite a few problems of his own.

Iroh told Kahn that Yin Shu had mysteriously disappeared after the old emperor’s death, leaving Zuko and Azula in turmoil. Kahn agreed to comfort Zuko when he could visit, while Iroh reflected that Azula was very much like her father.

• Kahn asked whether Zuko could not come out because of his father, and Iroh explained that Yin Shu had disappeared.
• Iroh said no one knew what had happened to Yin Shu, though he suspected Ozai knew more than he let on.
• Kahn worried about how Yin Shu’s disappearance and the succession upheaval were affecting Zuko and Azula.
• Iroh asked what Kahn thought of Azula, and Kahn called her a very special girl.
• Iroh reflected that Azula was very much like her father.

Iroh agreed to teach Kahn firebending after discovering he had learned several moves from scrolls. He demonstrated how a firebender could increase a move’s power, leaving Kahn to realize that the difference between self-study and learning from a teacher held the key.

• Iroh told Kahn he planned to stay by Kahn and Zuko’s sides as they grew up.
• Kahn asked Iroh to teach him firebending and explained that he had mastered moves faster than the Firebending School teachers would teach them.
• Iroh watched Kahn perform his moves and was surprised to learn he had taught himself from scrolls.
• Iroh agreed to answer Kahn’s questions and possibly teach him more powerful moves later.
• Kahn asked why Azula’s firebending was stronger and her flames a different color, and Iroh said he could explain the difference in firebending power through a demonstration.
• Iroh demonstrated the same opening form twice with different power, then prompted Kahn to consider why learning from a teacher differed from learning alone, and Kahn realized the answer.

Iroh taught Kahn that mastering Firebending meant understanding how to vary force and timing, while Azula followed Iroh to Kahn’s home. Azula revealed that she had witnessed her father murder her grandfather, leaving Kahn convinced he would be silenced.

• Iroh explained how varying force and timing could produce different effects with the same Firebending move, and Kahn quickly understood.
• Iroh said that the Avatar might be the only person capable of completely mastering bending before he left Kahn’s home.
• Azula revealed that she had followed Iroh and climbed out of the closely watched palace to visit Kahn.
• Kahn told Azula that Iroh planned to teach him Firebending, but withheld their discussion about the palace.
• Azula told Kahn she had witnessed his father stab his grandfather to death, and Kahn feared he would be silenced.

Azula told Kahn what she had overheard about Ozai’s confrontation with Azulon and explained that her mother, Yin Shu, disappeared after learning about the emperor’s death sentence for Zuko. Convinced that the events of that night held the key to her mother’s disappearance, Azula decided to investigate on her own.

• Azula admitted she had overheard Ozai ask Azulon to remove Iroh as crown prince, prompting Azulon to order Ozai to kill Zuko as punishment.
• Azula explained that Zuko survived, Azulon died, Ozai took the throne, and Yin Shu vanished after rushing away when she learned what Azula had told Zuko.
• Azula said Ozai had claimed Yin Shu left on her own, and Kahn suggested asking Ozai directly about what happened.
• Azula recognized that Ozai was hiding the truth and resolved to find out what happened to Yin Shu herself.

Azula told Kahn she intended to search for Yin Shu, and Kahn reluctantly agreed to help plan a quiet investigation. After Azula left, Kahn questioned how he had gotten involved and returned to his room.

• Kahn objected that he and Azula were only nine-year-old children and could not investigate powerful members of the royal family.
• Azula admitted she had come to Kahn because she felt helpless after realizing Ozai could not be trusted, then laughed when Kahn thought she wanted his help immediately.
• Azula clarified that she was only informing Kahn in advance, and he agreed to plan a discreet investigation with her.
• Before leaving, Azula asked where Yin Shu might hide, and Kahn suggested a distant place, somewhere dangerous, or a location concealed by a special ability.
• Azula left over the courtyard wall, while Kahn wondered how he had been drawn into the search and then returned to his room.

Kahn studied Firebending under Iroh while sparring and trading banter with Azula, who revealed that Iroh would soon be free to enter the Royal Palace. Two days later, Kahn reunited with Zuko there, and Azula teased Zuko as he grew emotional.

• Kahn began studying Firebending under Iroh, a rare Firebending Master, and improved through lessons and sparring with Azula.
• Azula and Kahn bickered, sparred, and discussed whether either of them had friends; Azula offered to introduce Kahn to hers at the Royal Palace.
• Azula told Kahn that her father would soon remove Iroh's influence, allowing Iroh to enter the Royal Palace without restriction.
• Two days later, Iroh brought Kahn to the Royal Palace, where Zuko greeted Kahn happily and called him his best friend.
• Azula appeared and teased Zuko for looking as though he was crying.

Azula brought Mai and Ty Lee to meet Zuko and Kahn, and Mai and Zuko's shy affection became obvious. Iroh left the children to play together after Kahn agreed to join them, while Kahn promised to investigate Zuko and Mai's relationship.

• Azula brought Mai and Ty Lee over, and Mai blushed after Zuko caught her when she stumbled.
• Azula introduced Mai and Ty Lee to Kahn, who said he was friends with both Azula and Zuko.
• Azula invited Kahn to play with her friends, and Zuko tried to keep him away from them.
• Iroh teased Zuko about Mai, then left the children to play together and asked Kahn to learn what was happening between them.